Bolognese sauce
That is the original recipe for Bolognese sauce. It is a typical mixed minced meat sauce that is the pride and tradition of Bologna cuisine
Ingredients
- 80 g of onion
- 80 g of carrot
- 80 g of celery
- 50 g of butter even lactose-free
- 20 g of olive oil
- 3 g of salt
- 150 g of sweet bacon (pancetta or, in alternative, pork underbelly) ground separately, not to be combined with ground beef and pork loin
- 300 g of slightly coarsely ground beef or muscle, shoulder, underbelly, belly or brisket
- 200 g of pork loin ask the butcher to grind loin and beef meat together
- 100 g of red wine
- 300 g of tomato passata
- 200 g of whole milk even lactose-free
- 300 ml of broth, meat, or vegetable to use if needed
Instructions
- Begin preparing the ragù from its soul, the soffritto. Keeping them separate, chop the onion, carrot, and celery very finely.
- Place a large pot on a small stove and melt butter in olive oil on medium-low flame. Gently sauté the onion for two minutes before adding the carrot, stir, and, after one minute, the celery too.
- Combine the salt while stirring. It will help the vegetables pull out their water without burning.
- After 3 minutes, or when the soffritto is slightly translucent, add the sweet ground bacon (pancetta), stir, and cook for a few minutes.
- Add the ground meat, crumble it with a fork, and stir. When you hear the meat to sizzle, add the wine and let it evaporate. While it evaporates, pour a glass. Is it a good wine? I hope so because you just used it in your meat sauce.
- Add tomato sauce and cook for one hour, leaving the pot uncovered and over low heat on a small stove. Bolognese sauce should not boil; it cooks slowly, humming a song under your breath.
- After an hour, you are almost halfway through cooking, considering that the first half hour has passed between preparing the soffritto and inserting the other ingredients. It is time to add the milk to the meat sauce. Stir and cook for another hour. But doesn't the meat sauce cook 4 hours? Once, it was necessary to cook the sauce for many hours since the meat was tough. Today, it has more water, and you can reduce the cooking time. I cook the sauce for about 2.30 to 3 hours.
- Turn it off and let it cool out; let it stand at least overnight (when cooled, place the pot in the fridge).
- The next day, taste and, if necessary, adjust the salt.
Food tips
- While cooking, add broth if necessary. I know it put you on the edge of your seat. I'll try to translate: if you encounter resistance while stirring or look at it and see that it is dry, add broth. Don't worry if you add too much liquid. In that case, cook until the final consistency is thick but fluid.
- Prepare the Bolognese sauce the day before and let it rest for at least one night.
- It will be kept in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Or make portions and freeze.